A Remote World Will Be Better For All Its Workers
A joined-up global labor market can help create a fairer job market for both employers and employees
This afternoon, a LinkedIn connection who’s prominent in the field of HR — and a veteran recruiter — posted a status on LinkedIn that caught my attention.
Although it runs contrary to the tone of voice that’s expected from the network, I don’t shy away from airing some contrary views there about marketing and communications. So when I somebody else doing the same I get a little jolt of excitement.
The poster works as a recruiter for a prominent organization that encourages immigration to Israel.
And while I’m not going to syndicate her status in the interest of protecting her privacy (even though the post was on LinkedIn, it’s only visible to her connections) I can tell you what it said:
There’s a skills shortage in sales here. English speaking immigrants are perfectly positioned to address that. Unfortunately I’m inundated by organizations seeking highly experienced salespeople for entry level pay and who aren’t willing to take a chance on those without experience or budge on those contradictory objectives. This is a crying shame and I’m sick and tired of it.
Immigrant Exploitation Is A Thing In Israel. Could Remote Work Be Its Solution?
I’m proud to be a supporter of Israel — mostly — and to have moved my life, from Ireland, to come to live here.
I believe that Israel is the eternal Jewish homeland and the right place for Jews to live. I’ve written about that. And yes, I know that you didn’t click into this to hear about my political leanings. So I’ll leave them at that.
Nevertheless, there’s something I’ve been wanting to get off my chest for a long time and this seemed like a fitting jumping off point:
Having lived here for more than six years, I’ve seen a disturbing and disproportionate amount of exploitative working conditions, demoralizing treatment of staff, and under-payment emanating from Israeli companies. I say this having both worked in house at them and having worked for many of them as freelance clients, sometimes tacking onto teams as a contractor.
The dynamic is frequently the same.
Many of them have raised impressive sums of money from venture capitalists, but are determined to find highly skilled people at rates that are grossly below market value in spite of the fact that they don’t need to do so. Perhaps because too often they can do so.
I believe that the driver of much of this exploitation is simply the ongoing process of immigration to Israel (aliyah) itself: there’s a plane-full of very driven and talented immigrants waiting to arrive on the next flight whose chief focus will initially be economic survival. Lavish praise of one’s talents — if they want to offer it — needs to be matched with lavish pay. This reality is lost on too many employers here and this is what my connection had the temerity to point out. I commended her on her decision.
While I support and encourage aliyah I think it’s unfortunate that the exploitation of those immigrants in the workforce appears to be an inevitable consequence. There will always be lousy employers looking to milk immigrants for as much as they’re worth for far less than they’re worth.
Sorry to those who this might offend (and I realize that everybody has their own experiences here). But I had to say that write that out once in my life. Somebody had to. I feel better now.
Now here’s the good part.
You No Longer Have To Work For Companies That Are Based Locally
Recently, I’ve also noticed that some of my friends — and professional contacts on LinkedIn — have begun engagements with remote companies based around the world. I think that this trend is particularly encouraging.
We’re fast moving into a reality in which the only tools needed to execute a job function are an internet connection and the basic human necessities, including food and shelter.
What remains to be seen is whether the future of this new work environment will be primarily remote or hybrid.
Before the pandemic, it would likely have seemed preposterous to suggest that either of these options would be the norm.
Now — just a short couple of years later — it seems reasonable to ask whether the hybrid model many employees seem to favor will only be a stopgap along the way to something far greater.
Another unsettled question is what kind of effect this will have upon the very world that we live in.
Will we see a mass exodus to the towns and villages and out of the crowded and expensive urban centers most of us currently live in?
What about the urbanists who want to work remotely from cities?
What will this mean for towns and villages? Will they become quasi cities filled with hip remote workers?
These are questions for the demographers and the urbanists.
But the outcomes may potentially reshape our world.
A Remote-First Knowledge Economy Will Be A Boon For Workers
We’re fast stepping into a world in which humans’ careers are becoming untethered from where their companies’ offices are located.
This could lead to a boon in satisfaction for knowledge workers who have more opportunity available to them than at any previous point in history.
Demand for skillsets may continue to vary, but this should have the effect of broadening the horizons for jobhunters.
Unfavorable dynamics in local markets — such as the ones I described, at least in certain careers — will be no impediment to talented workers finding the type of employment opportunities that will treat them right, pay them right, and help to grow their careers. Finding at least supportive working environments should be within easy reach for many workers.
That future may look a little unfamiliar. Humans working besides one another — in coworking spaces and coffee shops — but for organizations located around the world, often on the opposite side of the planet.
However, it could be a future that looks an awful lot brighter. Both for employees and employers who can now access talent that would previously have been inaccessible to them. An exciting new world awaits.
